09-12-2016, 03:59 AM
Darkness surrounded her, engulfed her. The world was dark. It was warm, and she felt comfortable. Was this what it was like to be dead? It didn't feel as bad as she'd imagined it...
The world lit up, it turned to a blinding white and she wanted to shield her eyes from it. But she could not. She realized that the darkness surrounding her was herself, she was darkness, and the light was killing her. She screamed.
The blinding light gave way to reality. Sabrina blinked, blinded by the strong neon light at the ceiling, reflected from the white walls and the tiles on the floor. Everything slowly took shape around her. She was sitting up in a bed, as white as the rest of the room. She was alone. Nobody was there... she wasn't dead. Her body wasn't gone. Only now did she realize that she was hyperventilating and that her heart was racing, as confirmed by a large machine by the side of her bed that she now noticed she was hooked up to with several cables going under her shirt. The quick beeping and the wavy line on its screen reminded her of those cliché electronics in the movies. She observed the wavy line for a while finding it a great way to calm herself until her breath and heart were back to a regular pace.
Just as she began to wonder where she was the door in the far back opened up and a pair of individuals that she recognized very well walked in. "Professor von Zweiberg? Profesor Miller?!"
"You remember us?" asked Miller with a bright smile. "Your mental recovery speed is surprising, even for a Prime."
"Mental... what? Where are we? Why am I here?"
Von Zweiberg raised his hands. "Undoubtedly you have a lot of questions, but try to stay calm. We cannot be certain just yet that you have fully awakened from your stasis."
"You are in the Coruscant R&D laboratories", Miller said. "Don't worry, everything is okay."
"R&D? But those were destroyed by the Silverbot X-0! How is-" She stopped asking questions when she noticed the smile on Miller's face.
"As Professor von Zweiberg said, please stay calm, Sabrina. Everything is fine."
Sabrina began to realize that something was up. Something big. "I... can I get something to drink?"
"There's a jug of water and a glass right next to your bed. Now, you are probably curious..."
Sabrina reached out with Telekinesis rather than her real arms. Strange how natural that felt now... she noted that von Zweiberg scribbled something into the clipboard he was carrying. "Of course I am. Why am I here? What happened to X-0 and the X-1s? What about you, was Coruscant safely evacuated? How much damage was caused?"
"The memories must still be livid if you failed to realize the truth. That, or our illuspray was more effective than we anticipated", said Miller.
"The... truth?"
"The Silverbots, Coruscant's destruction, your battle against the X-0 robot, all that did not happen. Coruscant is as alive and thriving as always."
"So I was... what? Hypnotized?"
"In a way. Remember when you changed your clothing and took a brief shower upon entering the labs?"
Sabrina closed her eyes and thought back...
"Yeah, I remember. Was that when...?"
"In a way", Miller repeated herself. Von Zweiberg spoke up at this point. "You were subjected to what we codenamed "illuspray", a delayed-time stimulant that enters the bloodstream of the human body by being absorbed through the epidermis - in layman's terms, your skin. It's one of the projects in development in the facility. Illuspray causes the person's reality perception to be changed from real to highly warped over the course of about twenty minutes, during which they become highly rceptive to external suggestions. The person's mind makes up an illusionary reality based on the things that are suggested."
"What did I take up then, that you suggested?"
"Most of the tennis game was a simple virtual-reality projection on the visor of your helmet. We continued by suggesting that some dangerous experiment had escaped from the laboratory and was attacking Coruscant, we let your mind make up the details. From there we nudged you in the right direction to ensure that the experiment was running correctly. You never left the room nor the suit you were initially placed in. We did however bring in extra objects for you to use your Telekinesis on."
Sabrina refilled her glass - when had she finished it? - and took a sip. "So none of the things happened outside of my head..."
"Not quite. The suit we used is outfitted with a thought modulator, which was able to convert all your illusionary perceptions such as your thoughts and senses into program code that allowed us to monitor what you saw." He produced a transparent item around the size of a modern-day USB stick and put it on Sabrina's night stand. "If it interests you, we have a full recording on this data key. Do with it what you will."
"I still have questions... why was I made to do all that?"
This time Miller spoke up again. "We confronted you with a powerful opponent, the "obstacle" that you must overcome, and we made you believe that you had the "tools" to defeat it if you forced yourself to the limit. That was to test your Telekinesis and make out how powerful and skilled you are.
The other aspect was Coruscant. We made it seem like you were the only one able to save us, that the God-Emperor and his invincible Space Marines were somehow powerless, as ludicrous as the thought would be in the real world. We put you in a role of responsibility to push you to the limit but also to see how you deal with extreme duress and how good you are at planning your movements. Putting you in the position where you could run if you considered the threat to be too much for you to handle, and making it easy for you to take that decision - and conversely, hard to decide to stay and be the hero - also allowed us to test your loyalty towards the Empire, and the God-Emperor. In the illusion you could just have fled with the suit or even sided against Coruscant. We're happy to say, however, that you passed the tests and gave us a lot of interesting information to work with."
Sabrina's head was spinning. She filled her glass yet again and thought, before raising her head again. "So... I passed. What does this mean for me?"
"The God-Emperor has been notified of your voluntary work and how your loyalty was proven. In addition, while you were recovering from your state we sent word to high officials, and you were admitted into Imperial R&D as a Professor."
"I don't have that degree yet."
Von Zweiberg produced a sheet of paper and handed it to her, while Miller explained: "We will have to forgo ceremonies as you did not officially attend a Coruscant university, but here's your diploma, "Professor" Sabrina. The experiment you have undergone has provided us with valuable information in the research of Telekinesis, and was more than enough for us to get you the degree. This will allow you to skip the years of study and internships and work as a fully-fledged member of our team immediately. Your work will be better acknowledged that way than if you were placed in some intern spot."
"Makes sense... thank you though. I do appreciate the effort." She mustered a smile as she accepted the diploma and briefly read it. Everything was correct.
"When you feel better," Miller continued, "you can head to room G-25 where an imperial ID card and a Communicator with access to the R&D database have been placed out for you, as well as your other belongings. You'll also have to set a password and clear up a few other formalities, but that's all there is. Welcome to the team." She held out a hand, as did von Zweiberg, and Sabrina shook both with a smile.
"I'll do my best. As soon as I recover I think I would like to go to the Vasty Deep once again, and get to work on the Cinnibarian Pokemon community. Though it appears that in the Omniverse things function differently there may be trace amounts of the original weaknesses and resistances that can be used to our advantage... oh, speaking of which, where are my Pokeballs?"
"With the rest of your belongings. We made sure that nobody touches those without permission. They were classified as personal and private."
Von Zweiberg continued. "Your work at the Vasty Deep would be greatly appreciated - it's actually where the Empire plans on sending you to. We'll send word to the Officer there to have someone show you around as soon as you get there, which should be in a few days, when you're back on your feet."
"I feel just fine. Can I get up?"
Von Zweiberg frowned but nodded. "Just be very careful. Your body may still be unstable from-"
"Nope! I feel great!" Sabrina laughed as she stood upright next to the bed without any issue. She demonstrated her fitness by doing a few gymnastic movements to regain the flexibility in her muscles after having been in a coma for however long, much to the shock of the two Professors. "I may be making a speedy recovery because I'm a Prime. Trust me, I feel completely at ease and ready to get to work. Could you help me with getting disconnected from the machines?"
Two hours later Sabrina, now fully dressed with her Pokeballs on her waist and a laminated ID card and Communicator in her pocket, left the R&D establishment and stretched her limbs with a happy smile. The professors had treated her to a much-needed lunch in the Imperial Cantina in celebration of her new position as their colleague after she had gotten her belongings back, so she felt more than ready to depart. There was no time to waste... she needed to get to the Vasty Deep and amass more Omnilium.
The memories were as clear inside her head as they were in the data key she had been given. The suit, the big robot, the X-1s... everything. The suit most of all, though. After having gotten a taste of power, even if all of it from the suit to her powers had been in her head only, she wanted more... she needed to recreate that suit. And she needed to find out how.
The gate to Costa del Sol came into view around a corner and Sabrina marched forward with a confident smile. Things were getting interesting.
The world lit up, it turned to a blinding white and she wanted to shield her eyes from it. But she could not. She realized that the darkness surrounding her was herself, she was darkness, and the light was killing her. She screamed.
The blinding light gave way to reality. Sabrina blinked, blinded by the strong neon light at the ceiling, reflected from the white walls and the tiles on the floor. Everything slowly took shape around her. She was sitting up in a bed, as white as the rest of the room. She was alone. Nobody was there... she wasn't dead. Her body wasn't gone. Only now did she realize that she was hyperventilating and that her heart was racing, as confirmed by a large machine by the side of her bed that she now noticed she was hooked up to with several cables going under her shirt. The quick beeping and the wavy line on its screen reminded her of those cliché electronics in the movies. She observed the wavy line for a while finding it a great way to calm herself until her breath and heart were back to a regular pace.
Just as she began to wonder where she was the door in the far back opened up and a pair of individuals that she recognized very well walked in. "Professor von Zweiberg? Profesor Miller?!"
"You remember us?" asked Miller with a bright smile. "Your mental recovery speed is surprising, even for a Prime."
"Mental... what? Where are we? Why am I here?"
Von Zweiberg raised his hands. "Undoubtedly you have a lot of questions, but try to stay calm. We cannot be certain just yet that you have fully awakened from your stasis."
"You are in the Coruscant R&D laboratories", Miller said. "Don't worry, everything is okay."
"R&D? But those were destroyed by the Silverbot X-0! How is-" She stopped asking questions when she noticed the smile on Miller's face.
"As Professor von Zweiberg said, please stay calm, Sabrina. Everything is fine."
Sabrina began to realize that something was up. Something big. "I... can I get something to drink?"
"There's a jug of water and a glass right next to your bed. Now, you are probably curious..."
Sabrina reached out with Telekinesis rather than her real arms. Strange how natural that felt now... she noted that von Zweiberg scribbled something into the clipboard he was carrying. "Of course I am. Why am I here? What happened to X-0 and the X-1s? What about you, was Coruscant safely evacuated? How much damage was caused?"
"The memories must still be livid if you failed to realize the truth. That, or our illuspray was more effective than we anticipated", said Miller.
"The... truth?"
"The Silverbots, Coruscant's destruction, your battle against the X-0 robot, all that did not happen. Coruscant is as alive and thriving as always."
"So I was... what? Hypnotized?"
"In a way. Remember when you changed your clothing and took a brief shower upon entering the labs?"
Sabrina closed her eyes and thought back...
Quote:She was given a simple coat and escorted to the changing rooms with the request to move into the decontamination area, which reminded of a tiled bathroom – or one of those places in a public swimming pool where one steps through a shallow pool of water to clean their feet.
“Oh, great…” she mumbled when the walls of said area began spraying her with a stinging disinfectant without prior warning. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose shut until the treatment was finished, only for a rapid shower to wash the disinfectant back off. She exited the room and grabbed the clean clothing – trousers, a T-Shirt, shoes and interior clothing, all shining white - that hung on a clothes hanger just outside. It itched all over and smelled weird. Looks like they were really strict about their health and safety regulations around here.
"Yeah, I remember. Was that when...?"
"In a way", Miller repeated herself. Von Zweiberg spoke up at this point. "You were subjected to what we codenamed "illuspray", a delayed-time stimulant that enters the bloodstream of the human body by being absorbed through the epidermis - in layman's terms, your skin. It's one of the projects in development in the facility. Illuspray causes the person's reality perception to be changed from real to highly warped over the course of about twenty minutes, during which they become highly rceptive to external suggestions. The person's mind makes up an illusionary reality based on the things that are suggested."
"What did I take up then, that you suggested?"
"Most of the tennis game was a simple virtual-reality projection on the visor of your helmet. We continued by suggesting that some dangerous experiment had escaped from the laboratory and was attacking Coruscant, we let your mind make up the details. From there we nudged you in the right direction to ensure that the experiment was running correctly. You never left the room nor the suit you were initially placed in. We did however bring in extra objects for you to use your Telekinesis on."
Sabrina refilled her glass - when had she finished it? - and took a sip. "So none of the things happened outside of my head..."
"Not quite. The suit we used is outfitted with a thought modulator, which was able to convert all your illusionary perceptions such as your thoughts and senses into program code that allowed us to monitor what you saw." He produced a transparent item around the size of a modern-day USB stick and put it on Sabrina's night stand. "If it interests you, we have a full recording on this data key. Do with it what you will."
"I still have questions... why was I made to do all that?"
This time Miller spoke up again. "We confronted you with a powerful opponent, the "obstacle" that you must overcome, and we made you believe that you had the "tools" to defeat it if you forced yourself to the limit. That was to test your Telekinesis and make out how powerful and skilled you are.
The other aspect was Coruscant. We made it seem like you were the only one able to save us, that the God-Emperor and his invincible Space Marines were somehow powerless, as ludicrous as the thought would be in the real world. We put you in a role of responsibility to push you to the limit but also to see how you deal with extreme duress and how good you are at planning your movements. Putting you in the position where you could run if you considered the threat to be too much for you to handle, and making it easy for you to take that decision - and conversely, hard to decide to stay and be the hero - also allowed us to test your loyalty towards the Empire, and the God-Emperor. In the illusion you could just have fled with the suit or even sided against Coruscant. We're happy to say, however, that you passed the tests and gave us a lot of interesting information to work with."
Sabrina's head was spinning. She filled her glass yet again and thought, before raising her head again. "So... I passed. What does this mean for me?"
"The God-Emperor has been notified of your voluntary work and how your loyalty was proven. In addition, while you were recovering from your state we sent word to high officials, and you were admitted into Imperial R&D as a Professor."
"I don't have that degree yet."
Von Zweiberg produced a sheet of paper and handed it to her, while Miller explained: "We will have to forgo ceremonies as you did not officially attend a Coruscant university, but here's your diploma, "Professor" Sabrina. The experiment you have undergone has provided us with valuable information in the research of Telekinesis, and was more than enough for us to get you the degree. This will allow you to skip the years of study and internships and work as a fully-fledged member of our team immediately. Your work will be better acknowledged that way than if you were placed in some intern spot."
"Makes sense... thank you though. I do appreciate the effort." She mustered a smile as she accepted the diploma and briefly read it. Everything was correct.
"When you feel better," Miller continued, "you can head to room G-25 where an imperial ID card and a Communicator with access to the R&D database have been placed out for you, as well as your other belongings. You'll also have to set a password and clear up a few other formalities, but that's all there is. Welcome to the team." She held out a hand, as did von Zweiberg, and Sabrina shook both with a smile.
"I'll do my best. As soon as I recover I think I would like to go to the Vasty Deep once again, and get to work on the Cinnibarian Pokemon community. Though it appears that in the Omniverse things function differently there may be trace amounts of the original weaknesses and resistances that can be used to our advantage... oh, speaking of which, where are my Pokeballs?"
"With the rest of your belongings. We made sure that nobody touches those without permission. They were classified as personal and private."
Von Zweiberg continued. "Your work at the Vasty Deep would be greatly appreciated - it's actually where the Empire plans on sending you to. We'll send word to the Officer there to have someone show you around as soon as you get there, which should be in a few days, when you're back on your feet."
"I feel just fine. Can I get up?"
Von Zweiberg frowned but nodded. "Just be very careful. Your body may still be unstable from-"
"Nope! I feel great!" Sabrina laughed as she stood upright next to the bed without any issue. She demonstrated her fitness by doing a few gymnastic movements to regain the flexibility in her muscles after having been in a coma for however long, much to the shock of the two Professors. "I may be making a speedy recovery because I'm a Prime. Trust me, I feel completely at ease and ready to get to work. Could you help me with getting disconnected from the machines?"
Two hours later Sabrina, now fully dressed with her Pokeballs on her waist and a laminated ID card and Communicator in her pocket, left the R&D establishment and stretched her limbs with a happy smile. The professors had treated her to a much-needed lunch in the Imperial Cantina in celebration of her new position as their colleague after she had gotten her belongings back, so she felt more than ready to depart. There was no time to waste... she needed to get to the Vasty Deep and amass more Omnilium.
The memories were as clear inside her head as they were in the data key she had been given. The suit, the big robot, the X-1s... everything. The suit most of all, though. After having gotten a taste of power, even if all of it from the suit to her powers had been in her head only, she wanted more... she needed to recreate that suit. And she needed to find out how.
The gate to Costa del Sol came into view around a corner and Sabrina marched forward with a confident smile. Things were getting interesting.
"(Note to self: insert quote & picture once I find stuff)"
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